Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: I was dissappointed

I was dissapointed in the Resort, As a vegetarian, the buffet offered limited choices and the options that looked like they might be vegetarian were not labelled with a V. I asked several times if the staff could point out vegetarian optins, but they could not understand me. The room had very limited outlets and my phone charger was actually fried in one outlet that sparked when I plugged in my charger, The shower door had soap caked on. Pool side entertainment was mostly in Spanish and much of [... read more] the staff does not speak English. We did enjoy ourselves poolside and the ocean was also beautiful, The ala carte Restaurants were also great. I am sure the Esmarelda will be beautiful after the Renovations are complete. We also payed for our seat reservations , but were dissappointed that the agent placed us right across from the bathrooms. I would not recommend this resort to friends.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Does not meet expectations

Disappointed in the buffet restaurant, cold food and not much selection or variety. There were days when yogurt wasn't available and fruit selection was minimal. Rooms were not very clean and a slight musty smell. Staff difficult to communicate with as they don't speak English. Service was hit and miss. AL a carte restaurants were good but vegetarian options were minimal Enjoyed the entertainment and close proximity to the amazing beach.

Royalton CHIC Punta Cana: Great stay!

Loved the smaller size of resort so it wasn't too far to get to and from the resort amenities from our room. Clean and modern hotel with great daily room cleaning services. The pools were beautiful with a variety of spots to lounge. The main pool had a lively atmosphere but if you wanted something quieter, you could choose the smaller pool closer to the ocean. Great ocean front with seating available. You do need to get to the pool and ocean loungers early in the morning if you want a spot.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: In need of coming refurbishment

We went in knowing that Esmeralda has aged and refurbishment is upcoming. As Esmeralda guests we were able to spend time at the Ambar adult section. The service at Ambar was definitely better. Butler took us to our room and we never saw her again. Never got to know our maid and her service needs definite improvement. Air conditioner not working for 5 days. Room phone not working entire stay. We loved the beach except for the towel game of reserving chairs at both beach and pool. Hopefully [... read more] things will improve after the upgrade.

Riu Palace Macao: Had a wonderful time!

Everything was good at the Riu Palace Macao. The rooms were clean and comfortable, the staff was helpful and friendly and the food and drink was varied and delicious. The weather was fabulous and the beach was stunning. What more can you ask for? As for Covid precautions - no one anywhere (staff or guests) wore a mask. The buffet was open to everyone touching everything. There were hand sanitizing stations about but they were rarely used. I can't blame the hotel for this because it was the s [... read more]ame at the airport in Punta Cana. Even at the airport in Hamilton and on the plane, there were very few people wearing masks. I guess it's the general feeling among travelers that the pandemic is over (not!).

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Food is terrible and service isn’t great at all.

So food is not good at all! Me and my son were sick for a few days because food seems to be undercooked half the time. Staff is waiting to get tipped to serve you. Make no effort to please. I actually tip everytime and still had some bad service. At check out they charged my visa even though I paid the balance in cash for room charges. Then I call to rectify this and no one seems to speak English. Tripcentral did not help me with this at all which I expected them to considering I booked through  [... read more]them. Hotel is a beautiful facility and beautiful beach. Expected a lot more. I guess you get what you pay for.

Impressive Punta Cana: Not Impressive Punta Cana

Jan 17, 2023 We visited this resort for our 40th anniversary. Positive, beautiful ocean, bell service people were nice, grounds are well kept. Negative the resort staff was rude, they are lacking customer service, and some were dishonest, which was very disappointing. January 17, 2023 Upon arrival at the resort, there was a long wait at reception, it was because all four staff at the front desk was attending to the same guest, trying to upsell the guest the premium upgrade.  [... read more]When it was our turn, we were also offered an upgrade to premium for $450.00 US, which we agreed to purchase. The upgrade included an ocean-view room with a jacuzzi, room service, premium drinks, a Nespresso coffee machine in the room, a fully stocked bar, butler service, premium drinks, spa hydrotherapy, etc. When we arrived in the room, it was an ocean view room on the 2nd floor, room 12216, beautiful, if you watch only to the left side, and ignore a big mountain of seaweed and garbage, stored outside the room, on the beach, which was an eyesore. The butler service was never available, however, on the 6th day of our 7-day vacation we got a note from the butler, introducing himself, his name was Oskar, and provided us with a phone number, Oskar was not available at any time during our stay at this resort. The jacuzzi in the room was old, dated, and dirty; the shower doors were not closing and dragging on the tile, causing water to spill out of the shower; the bar fridge had two water, one sprite, and one coke, this was considered a fully stocked bar fridge; there was an old dated coffee maker, no coffee available; bedding was not of premium quality of, the duvet was flat, old and hard, it was placed between two flat sheets ( not a duvet cover)which were very uncomfortable, the bed sheets kept falling off making it very uncomfortable to sleep, the ac unit was vibrating and very loud making it difficult to sleep, there wasn't any towel hook or robe hook in the bathroom, to hang clothes/towels, the bathrobe pocket was ripped and old, the lamp in the room was missing the light bulb, bathroom supplies appeared half empty looked like a leftover from a previous guest. The morning after we arrived, I ordered breakfast from room service, and I was told that breakfast would arrive in 40 minutes, food never arrived, call premium customer service and he said he was going to check to see what happened, and he left me on hold for approximately 30 minutes, I hang up and I tried to call back no one picked up the phone, I call the front desk and they transfer me to a number that never picked up received a callback. The issues during our stay were ignored and never looked at or even acknowledged, even though I contacted everyone possible. All we got was a runaround or ignored. We visited the premium customer service at the lounge to inform them about the room, we explained and the staff just looked at us with disgust and had us feel belittled for requesting what paid for, she then call the front reception and give me the phone, when I spoke to the receptionist he said I need to speak to the premium desk in the lounge, I explained that I at the premium desk and the lady here is just giving us a runaround, they both went back and forth and wasting our time. I also contacted customerservice@impressiveresorts.com, on January 19 & 20, 2023, but they did not respond. On January 21, 2023, from around 1 pm to 3 pm I was on the beach, I could hear trucks and tractors working on the beach, they were removing the seaweed. The removal of the rutted seaweed causes the entire area to smell like a sewer, and the air felt polluted I immediately started coughing, and my chest felt stuffy and unable to breathe freely, it then triggered an asthma attack. I was sick for the rest of my trip. I started to feel worse overnight. I decided to visit the doctor's office at the resort on the 22nd, because, of the fever, sore throat, and wheezing in my chest. I explained to the doctor that the cough started on the beach, when the seaweed was being removed, the cough did not stop, it triggered my asthma and I felt very ill. Dr. Carlos, recommend a Covid test which was completed and came back negative. He then prescribed some allergy medicine and cough medicine. I am back in Toronto, and still sick from the contamination from all the airborne bacteria, mold, and germs from the removal of the rotting seaweed from the beach. At the resort, It was very difficult to eat because I have a severe seafood allergy. The staff didn't speak or understand English and the label was not very clear. I did not feel safe in the buffet because food could be easily contaminated. In the gift shop, attendant Jasmeiry is very dishonest she entered a price in the debit machine and showed me a lower price, and then when I look at my receipt it was 4 times more. Please pay attention to your purchases, and make sure it is correct, ask to see how much they charge. I ask Jasmeiry how much for a bottle of Black Lable, and she said $15. US, I was surprised that it was so cheap, so I ask again and Jasmeiry said $15.US., so I thought it was a great deal, so I took two bottles, and she punched into the machine $1702.50 which is $30 US, and showed it to me in pesos, keyed it into the debit machine, but when I looked at my charges it was 4800.00 pesos. When the transaction was completed I was charged 84.58 US, not $30.00 US. Very dishonest staff, scam, and ripoff. I believe that some of the locals in Dominican Republic take advantage of foreign visitors, every chance the get. We had to get medication in the pharmacy next to the resort and they chose to overcharge for the medication too. We were told by the doctor it was just 5 tablets and should be between 2 to 3 US, and the person said it was $8.00. Please be aware!

Occidental Caribe: Updating needed

Hotel was okay but in need of major updating. Hotel room was very moist and lots of mold. Hotel is family friendly for little ones with many activities Hotel seemed to be lacking staff most likely due to covid causing longer waits for food and drinks

Occidental Caribe: Waste of money

Horrible service Horrible food Horrible drinks Horrible rooms Nobody cares or speaks English Better pay less and go to Cuba Never again All the 5 star Google reviews are fake They bribe the locals to leave 5 star ones

El Beso Adults Only at Ocean El Faro: Good holiday

We enjoyed our stay on the El Beso side as it was a bit quieter (although the staff was still quite ‘assertive’ in recruiting guests to participate in poolside activities. Rooms were nice and clean - fairly well kept up although the outside beds/loungers needed replacing. Pool bar was great - assuming you stayed in the pool as loungers were VERY hard to come by… unless you were up at 6 🤨. Buffet was good with lots of selection. A La cartes we’re also quite good but hard to book as [... read more] filled up very quickly. Overall a ‘good’ holiday but not great.

Vista Sol Punta Cana: hotel so bad- I checked out on day 6 and paid to go to another hotel

checked in 7pm Wed 4 Jan/23 for 2 weeks and on Mon Jan 9/23 moved to the Royalton Splash for an added hotel fee of $1540.00 -and was happy to pay it. This was facilitated by the Sunwing rep- Luis- who took my full statement and sent it to Sunwing. The beach was a disaster -4-5 foot sand ridges with no way to get down thru a path to the beach area which had 2-3 foot high clumps of-seaweed piled up so that there was only an 2-3 foot strip of sand showing at the waves and the mosquitos and [... read more] sand flees where unbelievable. I was so happy to see the grounds people about noon on Sat 7 Jan/23- from my room balcony- with wheelbarrows moving the seaweed from the beach that I went down and tipped about 9 of then three US dollars each, shook their hands and thanked them for making my holiday possible.. Thur 5 Jan/23 early Fri 6 Jan/23 about 3am I was woken up by a young English speaking male screaming "but I love you, I am in love with you, etc" out side my door- some body shut him down by 3.30am. I assumed it was some one coming back for the Disco who had too much to drink, and finally got back to sleep. The am after breakfast I went to guest services in the lobby and spoke to a young lady with mid length hair - She denied any noise and said that both the disco and the theater area where shunt down for renovations and where not operating -when I asked if there was a wedding or a private private party she said she was calling the entertain manager and said he said there was nothing going on the night before- she was very wooden and like she was reading a script she suggested and asked me if I had been dreaming or having a nightmare . I said no and left That night about 11pm i get woken up again -this time there is large theater like screen with pulsating fast fractral pictures and loud noise- boom boom with a base undertone -like a rave-and lots of people streaming up on the beach area by the childrens area- I have a perfect view from my balcony- so I take my camera -which has audio and film it . I finally get to sleep about 3am The next am I go back to guest services and speak to a lady with short curley hair at ear tip level and she again denies any noise or any thing going on -I do not tell her that I filmed it with audio That night about 11.30am- again the loud boom boom rave type noise this time I call the front desk- they deny the noise, I ask for security to go check, they call back and say it must be coming from off site- not them- I ask for a security guard to come to my room -I dress in a long caftan and put the camera and a different pair of glasses in a long black coat - they send a young guy- I advise him I will lead him direct to the noise - we start off and he disapears within 100 feet- I walk to the treater area and stand at the back- again fractal pictures on the screen and loud noise - I film with audio and walk about 100 feet to the lobby and speak to a young man and tell with I am not leaving the lobby until they shut it off - I sit at the guest services area-after about 20 minutes I decide this is stupid and I am going to have to go to another hotel-i go back to the young man and advise him i am leaving and will strip my safe and pack and check out of the hotel in the morning- I leave. I go to Sunwing and explain why I need a different hotel and I am packed and ready to go and know that I will have to pay extra for it, but I will not take being Gas light again or as I call it " given the crazy woman routine" I go to the front desk and explain I am checking out and want to speak to the Manager as I want find out his story as to what is going on -they say I can't talk to him until 1pm- I said fine I get to speal to him about 1pm- he says he is only the Front Desk manager -has nothing to do with what is going on and blames it all on Sunwing -Luis of Sunwing come over and we settle on a hotel- I give him my credit card- he confirms my hotel and the price. Luis gets me a bellman and a taxi and I move to the Royalton Splash. It like the difference from night to day and a real 4 star hotel-good room, no excessive noise and a clean beach -they make me happy -I have no complaints In the future I will check the reviews before I book a hotel oud

Serenade Punta Cana Beach and Spa Resort: Beautiful resort.

This is a very new resort. Beautiful, clean and well laid out. The beaches were nice, food was excellent and the staff very friendly. The size of the resort was good. Not large enough to require long distances between any of the points, but not small enough to be congested or cramped. There were a lot of families with children but I didn't find it disrupting as there was lots of things for the kids to do. I would definitely stay at this resort again if I was going to Punta Cana.

Vista Sol Punta Cana: Great resort!

My 2nd time at Vista Sol. Great service and well laid out. Fantastic "A la carte dining" and tasty beach bar with food truck. Great beach with security everywhere. Prefer a smaller resort and knew the area well.

Grand Bavaro Princess: Grand Bavario Princess

This resort was very nice. They had given us a room on the third floor which was a lot of stairs but the next day we were able to switch room closer to the pool and beach. The room was always cleaned well. The service was O.K. but we paid for premium and most of the time, there was not a server at the pool to get our drinks. The food at the buffet was cold. For diner, we went to the A la carte and the food was much better. The Soho Restaurant was a big disappointment. The staff were rude  [... read more]and never offered us desert. For all the A la carte restaurant, we had to downloads the app and order from there. They did not have paper copies of the menus. It was difficult to communicate with the staff in either English or French and was not able to get answers. There was no entertainment at all at night and no music. The Pub was very nice. The Sunwing Rep at the resort was no help at all. At our first meeting, he did not talk about the Resort but only wanted to sell us excusions. He was misleading with the document needed to leave Dominican.

Ocean El Faro: Not recommend

This hotel is very large lots of walking. The shuttle buses far and few between so dont wait for one then they dont show up. Then there is maid service well 3 days no maid service no towels no garbage emptied no fridge fill up with water. Now trying to get a ala cart restaurant was impossible you had to book online at 7am by 702 everything was booked figure that one out or they only had 1 seat left. Stayed in the adult section the restaurant there was the same food for lunch and dinner. The bea [... read more]ch was a disappointment rocky and weedy couldn't find a empty chair at 8am. The drinks were watered down. I would not recommend this hotel go somewhere else.

Iberostar Selection Bavaro Suites: great golf/beach vacation

Just returned from Iberostar Selection Bavaro. Travelled as a couple. Beach is lovely with plenty of palapas for shade, never an issue finding one and miles to walk in either direction. Didn't really use the pool but it appeared to have ample loungers and shade as well. Grounds are beautifully maintained and lots of bird wildlife. The main buffet has much better service and ambience than the buffet closer to the beach. We found the food and service at the main buffet on par or better th [... read more]an other equivalent level all-inclusive hotels, and in particular with the amount of fresh seafood grilling each day. A-la-cartes were a bit more hit and miss in terms if service and quality. Booking for a-la-cartes was through "concierge" whose main goal appears to be get you to attend a "morning meeting" sales pitch. Thankfully, they don't bother you after the first "no thanks". Rooms are large, but dated (I believe some are renovated). Ours had a musty smell (was likely not used recently) but was able to air it after a day or two. They will ask (suggest to you) if want to upgrade at checkin. We didn't and were closer to the lobby than the beach which worked well for us since we were golfing most days. Golfing was great - did a 5 round package and stored our clubs there. Shuttle service to and from the course was courteous and prompt. Also can easily walk to or from the course if desired. It was our first time to this property and wasn't sure if we should be booking down to save a few dollars (IB Dominicana or IB Punta Cana) or up (Selection Coral Level or Iberostar Grand). In the end we felt we made the right choice and would book the same category and hotel again after spending some time at the Dominicana and Punta Cana where you have access to the facilities.

Iberostar Selection Coral Bavaro: Five star but...

This is a beautiful hotel. The Coral Level is well worth it and the upgrade to ocean side rooms even more so. The beach is very nice and the breakfast/lunch buffets were amazing. Dinner restaurants were very disappointing (with the possible exception of Salt & Soul as well as La Dorada) and the concierge was useless (we saw Yolman the first and second day after which he basically ignored us despite receiving very nice tips). The overall service was very good and the staff helpful. Housekeeping  [... read more]was excellent while minibar service sorely lacking (never refilled). The water bottle policy needs to be reviewed. The highlight was the spa where five of us received excellent professional massages. The hotel makes an effort to help those with allergies but the labels are all wrong and misleading. THEY NEED TO GET THE ALLERGY LABELS RIGHT.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: Don't go

Bahia Principe Grand Punta Cana The morning after we arrived the Air Transat rep called our room early in the morning. He informed us that we needed to be in the theater for orientation at 10 am. I told him we did not get a Wi-Fi password the night before and he told me he would give that to us when we met at 10 am. At breakfast we met two ladies that were on the bus with us the night before. They asked if we were going to the 10 am orientation and we told them we were. The four of us arrived [... read more] at the orientation precisely at 10 a.m. where the Air Transat rep told us we were late and that we were told 9:30 am. We explained that wwe were told 10 a.m. and without an apology he informed us that we would have to wait 30 minutes for him. I told him to forget it and walked out, I came for the sun , not to have my time wasted. My husband and I paid a visit to the lobby desk to see if we could pay to be upgraded to their sister resort, The Esmeralda. We visited this property in November 2019 and had quite enjoyed it. I booked the Grand thinking we would have the same enjoyable experience. Unfortunately there were no vacancies at The Esmeralda and we had to remain at The Grand. The Grand is not so grand, it is sad and run down. The rooms are a decent size but they really need a deep cleaning and modernizing. We wanted to be located close to the beach and we were, but that is where the happy ends. It is a 15 minute walk to the main building where the buffet and lobby are located. A trolley ride there was impossible to get so you were better off just to do the 15 minute walk. By the time you had walked there, got a table (which was almost impossible most days), had your meal, then walked back to the room or beach, you had wasted more than an hour. The struggle to get your three meals a day wasted a lot of my sunbaking hours. I like to start my day with a nice cup of coffee but there was nowhere in our end of the resort to get one. We had coffee machines in the room but the coffee tasted like dishwater and the only supplies in the room were sugar. Walking 15 minutes to the main building and 15 back was not an option. The food was for the most part horrible and always cold. The only people who spoke English were the front desk staff, the servers did not speak or understand English at all. It was impossible to get coffee with our breakfast. Servers were invisible and if you were lucky enough to find one they would tell you to wait a minute and you never saw them again. The servers were very unfriendly and of no help if you were in need of condiments, beverages or anything else you might need during your meal. They had a snack bar that opened at our end of the resort for lunch. The food there was equally unpleasant as the dining room. Like the dining room there was no English, no service and no smiles. The staff in this resort are robotic and unhappy. At our end of the resort we had 2 two pool bars and a beach bar. The pool bar closest to the beach had music blaring so loud, perhaps trying to disguise the nasty sound system it was being played on. The bartenders had to read your lips to take your order. Along with this cacophony of sound was DJ who was set on daily repeat. He played the exact same songs every day at the same time, you could quite safely set your watch by the song that was playing. I use the term “song” in a generous way as it was the worst I have heard at any resort . The bartenders were winging it too, order the same drink 3 times and you got 3 different versions. Don’t hurry to be the first in line because they served whoever their eyes landed on. You might be first in the line but the last to have your order taken. The pool bars in our area closed at 6pm and so the first night after dinner we looked for a place to get a glass of wine after we walked back to the room. There was nothing. We would have had to go back to the main building to get a glass. No thanks! On Friday I went back to the room and found that our door would not lock. I waited 40 minutes to get the door fixed and the next day waited over an hour to have it repaired again. It seems the customer is not valued here, I did not spend money to sit in my room. The beach was on a hill and there was very little flat area to put a lounge chair. If the tide came in your belongings got wet. The walkways always had garbage on them, the same garbage every day, it was never cleaned up. The main sidewalk to the main lobby was cleaned but in a very haphazard way . We talked to many different guests and many were dissatisfied with this resort. Some people had water leaking on their belongings and some had no hot water. We had great weather for the week we were there and we will go back to the Dominican and Punta Cana but we will not be going to any Bahia Principe resorts in the future.

Riu Republica: So disappointed...

- No lifeguard that I could see Beach is not cleaned enough Dryer broken UsB plugs not working Couch is worn out Hook is broken No bathrobe Very slow wifi (spotty at best) Not enough English channels on TV Plenty of chairs on beach but no staff cleaning up nor bartender Beach kiosk for food No towels starting at midweek. Every time I went, I was asked to come back in an hour My room key stopped working 3 times and each time; they couldn't even muster up the strength to say "I'm sorr [... read more]y for the inconvenience" Good luck calling and getting ahold of reception, they rarely pick up They never have enough change for US cash so that one can give a tip, unless they like you or they are in a good mood Extremely slow front desk services + The sellers aren't aggressive nor inappropriate like they are at Breathless and other resorts in Punta Can (except for 1 who kept hounding me gently but asking I'd I thought he was a monkey (insinuating that I am racist) Professional staff - No one bothers me about being alone (not asked about it constantly like they did at other resorts-like at Aquamarine where staff stare weirdly and are detached from professionalism and welcoming) Clean restaurants Not hungry for tips Spa was amazing! But false advertising (in a dark small room, not a gazebo as advertised Spa does not do fake nails Spa shower head broken and only cold water Gorgeous beach! Great view Great shower but water hardly get hot enough No locals at the resort which is good Lots of bars Restaurants offer good variety of vegetarian food but it smelled and tasted like it had been cooked in the same oil or butter or pan as the meat stuff, like a weird slime taste (not a clean taste) The dessert tastes bland Great layout of resort (clean and easy, in a linear fashion) Good night entertainment but no organized parties with DJs Store has everything you might want at somewhat reasonable prices Cute cat on the resort

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Great Resort

The grounds were beautiful and clean. Rooms were great, comfortable and and clean. Buffet was busy but overall we always found good food. Sometimes hard to find a plate but when requested they brought out pretty quickly. Service was awesome! Pool by the beach was awesome. However, the music and entertainment was fun but repetitive. Would much prefer a list of music sometimes that people can just get up and dance too other than line dancing or exercise dancing. The beach was amazing and goes on  [... read more]forever and great for nice long walks and great for swimming! Thanks for a great trip!